The Melbourne Age on the other hand has eagerly welcomed a large amount of advertising for the controversial exhibition 'The Italians' which has now reached the Melbourne Museum.

‘The Italians’‘One of them was mutilated in a brawl, another vomited continuously, another ran away with a convent girl – and all of them will be hung in Melbourne on July 5.’Advertisement in The Age 30 June 2002

A few months ago there was huge media coverage for the exhibition when Vittorio Sgarbi, the Italian under-secretary for culture, threatened to sue The Australian for millions, when its critic Benjamin Genocchio wrote:

‘This is a resoundingly average exhibition of minor pictures by second and third division artists, while even works by the drawcard names of Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo are tiny drawings rather than lush oils.’The Australian 28 March 2002Have a look »

The Age, which had signed up as a sponsor of the show in February, took little part in the media ruckus that followed that review and those threats. As a sponsor, The Age has a vested interest in both the prestige and success of the Melbourne season.

The Melbourne Museum told Media Watch:

‘The Age is a sponsor of Melbourne Museum and 'The Italians: Three Centuries of Italian Art' exhibition. The sponsorship entails advertising as well as a hospitality evening. No sponsorship arrangement between Melbourne Museum and The Age includes any editorial obligations.’Statement from Melbourne Museum 12 July 2002

But there have been heaps of both ads and editorial which climaxed with a huge spread by The Age's critic Robert Nelson.

‘Numerically, it’s a hit.’‘I love this exhibition. The best works are stupendous and there are plenty of them.’The Age 5 July 2002Have a look »

But is this review much use? Robert Nelson is a professional critic and he's written a careful assessment of a show which in fact has had a fair share of praise, but can the readers entirely trust the verdict of a critic employed by a sponsor of the very show he is reviewing? The Age says:

‘Editorial coverage is determined solely by The Age’s editorial department and those journalists who cover the arts…Editorial decisions in relation to The Italians exhibition were made independently of any sponsorship agreement.’Statement to Media Watch from The Age

This problem is cropping up across Australia as newspapers and networks often very generously sponsor events like this. Seven was also backing 'The Italians'. Nine and the Sydney Morning Herald have sponsored the Sydney Festival and so on.

But what readers of The Age want right now is an answer they feel they can absolutely trust to one question: are these paintings worth a long queue in the cold and an $18 ticket to see?

And there's this downside for the exhibition itself: Where Fairfax sponsors, Murdoch is silent. The Museum has told Media Watch:

‘The Herald and Weekly times advised…that the ongoing sponsorship arrangement with The Age would prevent the Herald Sun from working with Melbourne Museum on a promotional basis.’Angela Schaftenaar to Media Watch